So when the Peninsula Manila team invited us to the very first of its Rockaoke sessions at Salon de Ning, I figured I would drop by for a drink to support our friends Mark Choon, general manager, Jose Luis Jimenez, director of food and beverage, and Mariano Garchitorena, director of public relations.

IMAGE YVETTE FERNANDEZ

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Many of us had spent long days at the office and the sultry, soothing singing voice of Bea Tantoco relaxed us.

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Zacky and Ning Delgado, Jen and Mark Choon, Mariano Garchitorena, Myrza Sison, Alberta and Jose Luis Jimenez and I had a first round of drinks to loosen up.

IMAGE COURTESY OF YVETTE FERNANDEZ

Bea tried to cajole us to join her onstage but the only one she could convince was Mark who gamely sang Billy Joel’s "Just the Way You Are."

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So I had a single shot of liquid courage—Overproof rum, passionfruit, mango, and chili—and before I knew it, I was up onstage with Garch and our friend Kat Limcaoco, ready to belt out Gloria Gaynor’s glorious anthem “I Will Survive.”

IMAGE YVETTE FERNANDEZ

“That’s a song that usually comes on later on the night after many more drinks, but why not?” said Bea.

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And so we sang without really knowing the right words, comfortable enough even if we were off-key since we figured the band would drown us out anyway. I must admit I was surprised by how fun it was. Kat and Garch stayed onstage for a duet.

IMAGE YVETTE FERNANDEZ

The rock band Circulo had a playlist of about 500 songs to choose from, and once the ice was broken, the other hotel guests made a beeline for the microphones.

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Zacky Delgado

IMAGE YVETTE FERNANDEZ

For many of us it was the first time to sing with a band, and so we got the girls up onstage to sing “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.”

Bea Tantoco and Tessa Valdes

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Even the younger crowd took their turns at the microphone.

Camille Tantoco and Bea Tantoco

IMAGE YVETTE FERNANDEZ

Enzo Razon

IMAGE YVETTE FERNANDEZ

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And while I kept telling myself I had work the next day, the night went on and on and on and on because don’t you remember? We built this city on rock and roll.